Kabion Ento – CB
As I’ve discussed here before, I believe Kabion Ento makes the initial 53-man roster–and there are two main reasons that I feel that way. One, is that he made the initial 53-man roster last season before being placed on IR. While that may seem inconspicuous, it really shows what the Packers think of him.
By going on the roster first, it allowed Ento the option to return during the season had he been healthy enough. If he had gone straight to IR, his season would have been over. So Green Bay clearly wanted him back at some point; it just didn’t work out that way.
Secondly, Ento can be a special teams contributor, which, as I already pointed out, is key for any back-end of the roster player. During mini-camp and OTAs, he was getting his share of reps as a gunner–an important special teams position. If we also look at two players who he will be competing with, Josh Jackson and Ka’dar Hollman, both of them were healthy scratches at the end of last season. This again speaks volumes about what the Green Bay Packers think of them and their potential contributions to the defense and special teams.
Christian Uphoff – S
Christian Uphoff is another UDFA from this year’s class who could make a roster push. Like Scott, Uphoff is a good fit for this defensive system. Sports Illustrated called him an “ideal two high safety,” and he also brings versatility, plus ball skills, and is a willing tackler against the run–all positives.
Uphoff also happens to be at a position where there could be as many as two or three roster spots available, with Amos and Savage as the only roster locks at this point. I know many are excited about Uphoff’s upside, but I want to mention that he is very inexperienced. 2019 was his only season in college as a starter, and the 2020 Missouri Valley season was canceled due to COVID–so there may be some rust to shake off as well.